Online tools
In educational settings, online tools are increasingly being made available to both learners and educators. These services can range from self-help and self-directed activities, to live web chats with professionals, access to peer support programmes, or even computerised CBT (Brown, 2022). The benefits of these tools are that they are easily accessible and free of charge, and an example of this is their increasing use as a support for those with conditions such as anxiety (Pauley et al., 2021).
The effectiveness of these tools is still being evaluated. For some, online access to support services may help overcome the barriers which prevent them from seeking face-to-face support when needed (Gericke et al., 2021). However, others may feel excluded by digital interventions, and unable to easily access them, so online tools are not necessarily suitable for all.
Activity _unit5.3.2 Activity 4 Identifying online tools
Do a quick search on your organisation’s website and identify any online mental health support tools that may be available and suitable for your learners. You might consider the following questions:
- Are there any online activities to support positive mental health?
- Is there any access to live support chat, such as counselling services?
- Are these services available on specific days or at specific times?
- Are there online forums where learners can chat and support one another? Are these moderated, safe online spaces? (You may want to look back at Week 1, Section 4.3.)
Discussion
It is a good idea to bookmark, or keep a note of, relevant web pages or web links that you have identified and to periodically check that they are still live, in order to have them ready to pass on to your learners when needed.
Whatever support is offered to a learner, it is important that they have information about what is being offered, what it may involve and how it can be accessed. Such knowledge and reassurance can take away some of the fear a person may experience when first considering accessing professional support. This anxiety may be heightened if the person has previously experienced stigma around their mental health.